Charter 41 Magnum revolver

[Buckeye63]

Im a Charter fan , my first Charter I purchased was just over 30 yrs ago .. I own 3 Charters at this time .. 2 Alumium framed 38spl & a Bulldog in 44spl ....
Over the past few years they have built 9mm & 40 S&W both built on the steel Bulldog frame and then a slightly larger steel framed revolver in 45acp , 45 Colt & 41 mag

Im really considering the 41 Mag model , for self defense carry ... It has a 2.5 inch barrel and only weighs 23 oz ... By far the smallest 41 mag ever produced...

Im thinking the Winchester 175gr Silvertip maybe a good choice for SD carry ...

I haven't seen alot of gel tests for 41mag from a 2.5 inch barrel...

This is a You Tube clip of a review of the Charter 41mag
https://youtu.be/XkrAqdLiHPw

[sharps54]

I can’t comment on the quality of current Charter Arms revolvers (the Bulldog I bought about 20 years ago was crap) but unless you are already invested in .41 Mag I’d be hesitant to pick it over the .45 ACP model where at least you are getting modern self defense bullets, cheap ammo (or reloading components) and can find ammo readily. I’d be surprised if .41 isn’t only loaded seasonally like .35 Remington.

That said if their quality has improved their 6 shot Police Undercover model is intriguing.
https://charterfirearms.com/products...ice-undercover

[Buckeye63]

As for the quality of the Charters .. They are not at the top of fit and finish .. The ones I have owned and own now have had tooling marks and such .. But they are functional.. due to the solid frame they are strong even though they are light ...they have a lifetime warrenty...

[sharps54]

As for the quality of the Charters .. They are not at the top of fit and finish .. The ones I have owned and own now have had tooling marks and such .. But they are functional.. due to the solid frame they are strong even though they are light ...they have a lifetime warrenty...

As I mentioned my only experience was 20 years ago, with that .44 Bulldog I experienced misfires on double action and the barrel shroud would "inch" forward requiring it to be pushed back in place every cylinder or two. I should have sent it back for service but ended up selling it to an army buddy with full disclosure.

[HCM]

As for the quality of the Charters .. They are not at the top of fit and finish .. The ones I have owned and own now have had tooling marks and such .. But they are functional.. due to the solid frame they are strong even though they are light ...they have a lifetime warrenty...

My experience with Charters in both 38 spl and 44spl is you need at least two if you actually shoot them as one will be in need of repair.

41 mag is an effective round but cost prohibitive if you don’t reload. I will also say that shooting enough to maintain proficiency and “smallest and lightest magnum” are not compatible. A 23 oz 41 mag would be unpleasant to shoot if not something which will cause injury in any volume.

If download your .41 you now have the ballistics of a 40 S&W but without the cheap readily availible ammo and modern bullet technology.

If you like charter revolvers in bigger calibers, a pair of them (one to carry, one to train with) in 40 or 45 acp would be a more practical.

A lifetime warranty is fine for a recreational gun but if your carry gun breaks when you need it the lifetime warranty can’t help you.

[BillSWPA]

Would a barrel that short make good use of a .41 mag.? Another thread here linked to a video showing that similar weight bullets achieve almost identical velocities regardless of whether shot from a 9mm semiauto, 9mm revolver, or .357 revolver, and the only thing the .357 provides is a lot less comfort. Could the .41 be similar?

Also, before doing extensive shooting with a small, light .41 mag., I would encourage reading some posts by Rex G, who has damaged his hands and wrists from excessive shooting of large caliber revolvers.

[Buckeye63]

30 + years of owning Charter revolvers.. I haven't had to send but two in for repair .. One was a older 38spl .. I purchased at a gunshow ... Sold as a parts gun .. The pervious owner attempted to strip the revolver down and lost a few parts . I picked it up for $35.00 ... I called Charter . They said being it was a older revolver they would charge $35.00 for the repair and charge for parts ..They didn't charhe for parts , repaired the revolver, and sent me a T-shirt ...

The second revolver I sent in had a broken grip frame .. I dropped it on pavement,They repaired it , no charge.. and sent a new set of grips along with my marred ones..

I have had alot worse luck with S&W J frames ...( newer ones) in fact the last two I ordered were so bad out of time ..I didn't accept them at the transfering FFL .. and the last SP100 I owned had a DA trigger pull I estimate at 16# and had tooling marks all over the crane ... Looked like someone took a rat tail file to it ...

I guess its luck of the draw ....
Maybe why I own way too many Glocks ..

[sharps54]

There is no question that QC for S&W and Ruger has taken a serious dip in the last few years. You only have to look through this forum to find numerous examples of revolvers from both that were unsatisfactory out of the box.

That said I believe the general consensus is that once the revolver is serviceable the offerings from S&W and Ruger tend to be more durable when subjected to heavy use. Again I do not have experience with the current crop of Charter Arms' revolvers so I can't speak to their durability and all accounts of customer service that I have read mirror @Buckeye63 's good experience. I am tempted to give either the Police Undercover or the Southpaw (mainly as a conversation piece) a try just to see.

[Buckeye63]

There is no question that QC for S&W and Ruger has taken a serious dip in the last few years. You only have to look through this forum to find numerous examples of revolvers from both that were unsatisfactory out of the box.

That said I believe the general consensus is that once the revolver is serviceable the offerings from S&W and Ruger tend to be more durable when subjected to heavy use. Again I do not have experience with the current crop of Charter Arms' revolvers so I can't speak to their durability and all accounts of customer service that I have read mirror @Buckeye63 's good experience. I am tempted to give either the Police Undercover or the Southpaw (mainly as a conversation piece) a try just to see.

I try to purchase handguns ( especially revolvers) in a LGS .. were I have the opportunity to give it a good go over ..
If I purchase online I definitely give them a good look over , before I accept... My FFL doesn't even open the box ... until Im on site

[Hambo]

Less than full performance due to short barrel, high ammo cost and old bullet design, QC from a company that has been in and out of business, and lots of muzzle flash, but don't let that stop you.